Friday, January 2, 2004
Yahoo! News - N.Korea to Let U.S. Experts Visit Nuke Site
The USA Today newspaper said the Jan. 6-10 visit had been approved by the Bush administration and a top nuclear scientist would be in the delegation.
It would mark the first time outsiders have been allowed inside the reclusive communist country's nuclear complex since U.N. inspectors were expelled a year ago in the midst of North Korea's confrontation with the United States over its nuclear ambitions.
A South Korean foreign ministry official, confirming the USA Today report, said Seoul was not a party to the visit and he was unsure what the delegation would do in Yongbyon or what specific facilities it would look at.
"I would not want to put too much meaning to the visit," he said. "It is difficult to use the visit as a gauge of the next round of six-party talks."[...]
...By inviting Hecker to Yongbyon, the government of Kim Jong Il may want to prove it has nuclear weapons as a way of bolstering a tough negotiating stance, the newspaper said.
It may also want to try to defuse tension by showing that its nuclear sites will be open to inspection if a deal is reached, the report added...
They may also simply be trying to wow them with Kim's secret stash of the finest Korean porn. They say the Great Leader has a large collection and them NorKs is mighty crazy. Who knows? Will be interesting to hear the after action reports.
Update: Even The Marmot doesn't know what to make of it.
